Mechanism for transferring idle shuttles to a return conveyer in looms for weaving



Feb. 15, 1955 E. PFARRWALLER 2,702,054

MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING IDLE SHUTTLES TO A RETURN CONVEYER IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Flled July 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l K9 [kw/N PFARkw/q LL ER,

ATTOR/V K g INVENTOR. 5"

Feb. 15, 1955 E, PFARRWALLER 2,702,054

MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING IDLE SHUTTLES TO A RETURN CONVEYER IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Filed July 12, 1952 r 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

few/1v PFA RRwA4L ER.

ATTO/PA/EK MECHANISM FOR TRAN sFERRING IDLE SHUTTLES TO A RE Feb. 15, 1955 E PFARRWALLER 702,054

CONVEYER IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Filed July 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 a 'IIIIIIIIA'IIIIIYIIIIA INVENTOR.

g I I X- Arron/n.

Feb. 15, 1955 E. PFARRWALLER' 2,702,054

MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING IDLE SHUTTLES TO A RETURN CONVEYER IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Filed July 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 x INVENTOR. .R & ERW/NPFARRWALLER. k, 1% 7 ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 15, 1955 E PFARRWALLER 2,702,054

MECHANISM FOR TRAN SFERRING IDLE SHUTTLES TO A RETURN CONVEYER IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Filed July 12, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ERW/N B-ARRWALLER ATTORNEK' TLES TO A RETURN CONVEYER lN LOOMS FOR WEAVING Erwin Pfarrwaller, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Sulzer Freres, Societe Anonyme, Winterthur, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application July 12, 1952, Serial No. 298,554

Claims priority, application Switzerland October 17, 1951 13 Claims. (cl. 139-126) The present invention relates to a device for transferring, in a loom for weaving, the shuttles after they have passed through the shed and have been received in a shuttle brake, to a conveyor for returning the shuttles to a shuttle picking station.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for reliably and positively moving the shuttles in a highspeed loom for weaving laterally from a runway in a shuttle brake and shuttle receiving station to a conveyor for returning the shuttles to a shuttle picking station. In weaving machines making a great number of picks per time unit, the time available for recipr .zating a shuttle transfer element for transferring idle snuttles to a return conveyor is very short, and the speed of the reciprocating movement is great. In high-speed looms, knocking the shuttles oflf the receiving runway or failure of the shuttles to. be gripped by the transfer element,

States Patent causes delays and breakdowns which are not easily repaired. The shuttles may be incorrectly positioned at the entrance of the guideway in which they are transferred to the conveyor. They may be in the guideway and/ or may arrive at the conveyor in a slanted position, causing jamming in the guideway.

The present invention provides a shuttle transfer mechanism which comprises at least one transfer element to which the shuttle is temporarily so firmly connected that it cannot remove itself from the element, at least not in the direction of movement of the transfer element.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown in the drawings which, by way of illustration, show what I now consider to be preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic illustration of a weaving machine seen from the cloth beam;

Fig. 2 is a part-sectional side elevation of a shuttle transfer mechanism according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a part-sectional top view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 show a portion of Fig. 2 with the mechanism in different operating positions;

Fig.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a portion of a section taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a top view of a modified part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a front view of the part shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 shows a section taken along line XI-XI in Fi 9' iig. 12 is a side view of amodified part of the device according to Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a part-sectional side view of a further modification of a part of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 to 5;

Figs. 14 to 17 are part-sectional side views of a modified shuttle transfer mechanism according to the invention in different operating positions;

Fig. 18 is a diagrammatic illustration of means for actuating the mechanism shown in Figs. 14 to 17.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in all figures of the drawings.

6 1s a part-sectional top view of a modified por- -tion of the mechanism according to Figs. 2 to 5;

2,702,054 Patented Feb. 15, 1955 which is driven by motor 16 through a clutch 15 and which actuates a shuttle picking device 7 and a shuttle receiving mechanism 8 in addition to the parts mentioned previously. Shuttle 14 receives a weft thread 10 in. the picking device 7. The weft thread is pulled from a spool 11, which is separate from the shuttle, and is pulled through the shed by the shuttle, the latter being received in the receiving device 8. There the weft thread is released from the shuttle, the idle shuttles being returned below the shed from the device 8 to the picking device 7 by means of a conveyor 9. Clutch 15 is actuated by turning a shaft 12 provided with actuating levers 12. A brake 17 serves for quickly stopping rotation of shaft 6. The latter may be rotated by hand by means of handwheel 18 when clutch 15 is disengaged.

Figs. 2 to 5 show a mechanism according to the invention for transferring the shuttle 14a, which has just arrived on the runway 20 of the shuttle receiving mechanism, to the conveyor 109 for returning the shuttle to the picking station. The shuttle 14a has been stopped by a brake member 21 havinglateral guides 25 between which the shuttle is received. The brake member 21 is vertically guided by a guide 22 mounted on the inside of casing 24 of the shuttle receiving device. The brake member 21 may be constructed as shown in Patent No. 2,271,205, having resilient laminae interposed between lateral brackets 25, the lowermost lamina contacting the shuttle to be braked and pressing it against the runway 20. The brake body depends from a block 23 with which it is connected by a toggle joint 58, 59.

The rear end of the shuttle is provided with a thread clamp 67 composed of two jaws which are normally yieldingly pressed together for closing a clamp and which can be spread apart by inserting a wedge or thorn 28 between the jaws. This wedge is part of a member 27 which swings on pin 29 for up and down movement of the wedge 28 and is horizontally reciprocatingly movable for pushing a shuttle laterally into a guideway 26 connecting runway 20 with the shuttle return means 9, after clamp 67 has been opened and the weft thread 10 has been released from the shuttle.

Pin or axle 29 is connected with one end of a yoke member 30 mounted at the end of a horizontal rod 32 guided for axial movement in a bearing 31. From the other end of member 30 extends, at a right angle thereto, a pusher rod 37 whose end engages the forward part of a shuttle for laterally pushing same without being connected therewith. Member 27 is movably connected by a pin 33 to one end of a link 34 whose other end is pivoted to arm 35 extending from shaft 36,the latter being revolvably supported by the casing 24.

Shaft 38 which is rotated by the loom drive by conventional means, not shown, carries a disc 39 having a groove 40 on one side and a groove 41 on the other side for rollers 45 and 46, respectively. Roller 45 is mounted on one end of a two-arm lever 47 whose other end is connected with a lever 60 by means of a link 49. Lever 60 is fast on shaft 61 whichhas an arm 50 extending at a right angle therefrom and having a bifurcated end slightly engaging a block 51. The latter is pivoted to a horizontally guided slide member 52 to which rod 32 is connected.

Roller 46 is mounted on one end of a two-arm lever 48 whose other end is connected by a link 53 with arm 54 extending at a right angle from shaft 36.

Shaft 38 carries a cam 55 engaging roller 56' at one end of two-arm lever 56 whose other end is connected by link 57 to the pivot of the toggle joint 58, 59. Engagement of roller 56' and cam 55 is effected by a spring 108 whose one end abuts against lever 56 and whose other end rests on a stationary part of the casing of the device.

Guideway 26 is formed by a slot in each of plates 63 and 64 which are mounted on casing 24 (Fig. 3). Plates 62 and 65 arranged outside of plates 63 and 64 and also mounted on casing 24 are solid. and serve as guides for the ends of the shuttlespassing through guide-, wa 26.

The device operates as follows:

Shaft 38 is rotated by the main drive shaft 6 in the direction of narrow 92 to make one revolution between two weft insertions. Figs. 2 and 3 show the mechanism at the moment when a shuttle 14a has arrived on the runway and has been moved back to exactly in front of the guideway 26 by the pusher 66 from the position where it was stopped by the shuttle brake. For this purpose, the pusher 66, which has a recess 66' fitting around the front end of the shuttle, has been moved in a direction opposite to that in which the shuttle moved when it arrived in the shuttle receiving device, by conventional cam and cam follower means operated by the main shaft 6, for example, as shown in Patent No. 2,538,798. At the operating phase shown in Fig. 3, pusher 66 has already been moved into position ready for receiving the next shuttle. Upon continued rotation of shaft 38, cam follower roller 46 enters portion 43 of groove 41, so that the shuttle transfer member 27 is lowered and wedge 28 enters between the jaws of clamp 67 opening the latter and releasing the weft thread 10 from the shuttle. The device is now in the position shown in Fig. 4 and the shuttle 14a is ready for being pushed into guidewa 26.

The shuttle is connected by the wedge 28 with member 27 in such a way that the shuttle cannot leave the member, at least not in the direction of horizontal movement of member 27. It is thus made impossible for a shuttle to be thrown off or to become stuck during its subsequent lateral movement.

After cam follower 46 has entered portion 43 of groove 41, follower 45 enters portion 42 of groove 40 turning levers 47 and 50, the latter clockwise, moving rod 32 and yoke 30 connected therewith to the left, and causing member 27 and push rod 37 also to move to the left. Prior to initiation of the aforesaid movement of yoke 30 and parts connected therewith. the toggle joint 48, 59 has been bent, because roller 56' was engaged by portion of cam 55, and brake 21 has been lifted to the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the shuttle 14a is free of the guides 25 and can be removed laterally from runway 20. A previously transferred shuttle 14e resting in the conveyor runway 9 has been advanced by an abutment 69 on the conveyor belt or chain 109, so that the shuttles 14d, 14c and 14b can slide down in the guideway 26 to the positions shown in Fig. 4.

'Fig. 5 shows the device in the position after shuttle 14a has been moved into guideway 26 and transfer member 27 has been lifted to remove wedge 28 from the thread clamp 67. Line 68 in Fig. 2' indicates the path followed by' the point of wedge 28 during the aforedescribed operations. After completion of the cycle, wedge 28 and member 27 are again in the position shown in Fig. 2. Shuttle 14d (Fig. 5), now resting on the confit veyor 109, is pushed by an abutment 69 on the conveyor belt out of guideway 26, so that the following idle shuttle 14c can drop down onto the conveyor and shuttles 14b and 14a can advance in the guideway to make room for the next shuttle arriving'on runway 20.

Locking and push-out means may be provided in the end of guideway 26 for blocking exit of the lowermost shuttle 14c from the guideway until a desired moment and for pushing shuttle 14c onto conveyor 109. Such means are disclosed in Patent No. 2,538,798 and in patent application Ser. No. 205,236, filed January 10, 1951.

Figs. 6 to 8 illustrate modified shuttle transfer means in which transfer members 70 and 71 are provided with means for holding the shuttle. Member 71 is formed as a lever rigidly connected with member 70 by means of rod 72 to form a unit swingable on yoke 30. Member 70 is substantially like member 27 in Figs. 2 to 5. Member 71 is provided with a finger 73 adapted to enter an aperture 74 in shuttle 14. Yoke 30 is actuated in the same manner as in the device according to Figs. 2 to 5. i. e. by means of a horizontally and axially reciprocating rod 32. The unit 70, 71, 72 is swung up and down by the link 34. Wedge 28 on member 70 serves for opening the thread clamp 67.

If the length of aperture 74, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the shuttle ,14, corresponds to the width of finger 73, the shuttle cannot move axially during the push-outoperation.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 to 11, the bracket members 75 and 76 are provided with recesses 77 and 78, respectively, corresponding to the cross-section of the shuttle 14 and holding the shuttle during the lateral pushout movement. The shuttle is provided with a recess 79 receiving an end portion of bracket member 76 so that the shuttle cannot move in the direction of its longitudinal axis. Members 75 and 76 are rigidly interconnected by a connecting rod 72 and pivoted to the yoke 30, the latter being connected with push rod 32. The actuation is the same as that of element 27 in Fig. 2.

In lieu of the recesses 77 and 78, pins 77' may be' provided projecting from members 75 and 76 and spaced to straddle the width of a shuttle as shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 13 illustrates a shuttle transfer element 80 having an extension 83 of angular cross-section sliding in a corresponding aperture 84 in a head 81 at the end of rod 82. Element 80 is further provided with a thorn 85 adapted to be inserted into an aperture 86 of shuttle 14. Because of the linear guide 83, 84, element 80 moves up and down parallel to itself upon actuation of link 34 to which it is pivotally connected. Link 34 is operated by the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Rod 82 corresponds to rod 32 in Fig. 2 and is operated in the same manner. There is only one element 80 and the aperture 86 is substantially in the middle of shuttle 14 and is angular to correspond with the angular crosssection of thorn 85. If two elements 80 are provided, rod 82 must have a yoke member at its end corresponding to member 30 in Fig. 3. This yoke member has two angular apertures 84 and the two elements 80 are rigidly interconnected; or two links 34 are provided and two arms 35 are fixed to shaft 36.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 14 to 17 requires only one cam disc, as disc 39 in Fig. 2, and only one groove, as groove 40, guiding a cam follower at one end of a lever 47 in Fig. 2, whose fulcrum is so placed that its upper arm performs a stroke which not only laterally moves a transfer element 87 but also oscillates it, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 18.

Arm 88 of bellcrank lever 87 is connected by link 89 with lever 47 carrying a cam follower 45' engaging cam groove 40' of disc 39'. The end of the other arm, 90, of lever 87 is formed as a thorn or wedge 91 adapted to be inserted into thread clamp 67 of shuttle 14 or into an aperture 86 in the shuttle as shown in Fig. 13. Arm is also provided with a protuberance 93 actuating a pawl 95. Lever 87 has a heel portion provided with a nose 94 for actuating a pawl-96. The bellcrank lever 87 is pivoted to a slide 97 at the end of rod 98, the latter being axially guided in bearings 99.

In the position of the mechanism shown in Fig. 14, the slide 97 is held in its right end position by the pawl which swings about a stationary pivot 100 and is pressed by spring 101 against the slide 97. Upon move ment of rod 89 to the left, lever 87 turns counter-clockwise and thorn 91 enters shuttle 14. Simultaneously, the protuberance 93 depresses pawl 95 and releases slide 97 so that it can be moved to the left as seen in Fig. 15. Counter-clockwise rotation of lever 87 is limited by abutment of arm 90 against an abutment 103 on slide 97. Upon further movement of rod 89 to the left, slide 97 is moved also to the left until shuttle 14 is pushed from runway 20 and the device has reached the position shown in Fig. 16. Pawl 96 which swings about a stationary fulcrum 104 and which was pressed until this moment against the bottom side of slide 97 by spring 105 can now be moved up by spring 105 to engage the right end of tslide 97 and prevent the latter from moving to the rig t.

If rod 89 is now pulled to the right, lever 87 turns clockwise and thorn 91 is pulled out of shuttle 14 (Fig. 17). Nose 94 is lowered at the same time and depresses pawl 96 so that the slide 97 can pass over it. Arm 90 rests on abutment 107 of slide 97 so that lever 87 cannot be turned further and slide 97 is pulled to its right end position, in which it is shown in Fig. 14. There the slide is again locked by pawl 95. Follower roller 45' on lever 47' now runs into the circular portion of groove 40', and the device remains in the position shown in Fig. 14 until roller 45' again enters groove portion 42'.

Without departing from the scope of the invention,

the devices shown can be so modified by one skilled in the art that the shuttle is not pushed from the runway 20 but pulled therefrom, in case the guideway 26 is at the right of runway 20 instead of at the left thereof as illustrated. The transfer elements 28, 70, or 90 can also be arranged at the left side of runway 20 and guideway 26,

grad symmetrically to the arrangement shown in the awmg.

The devices shown and described assure smooth and quick removal of the shuttles from the shuttle receiving box and can be used in connection with looms operating at very high speeds. The reciprocating movement of the shuttle transfer means is great when the number of picks per time unit is great. Under these circumstances, it is essential that the shuttle cannot be knocked away from the transfer means, also that it cannot move less fast than the transfer means, i. e. that the shuttle is positively gripped by the transfer means. With the devices shown and described, the shuttles are positively prevented from arriving at an angle to the conveyor which would result in jamming the shuttles. An incorrect longitudinal position in which the ends of the shuttles abut either-against plate 62 or 65 is also prevented. Any incorrect position of the shuttles causes interruption of the operation of the loom, and this is effectively prevented by the mechanism according to the invention.

While I believe the above described embodiments of my invention to be preferred embodiments, I wish it to ,be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of design and construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A loom for weaving comprising gripper shuttles which are received in a receiving station after they have passed through the shed and which are returned to a picking station by conveyor means, said shuttles having at least two opposed surface portions disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shuttles and at a right angle to the transfer direction, substantially reciprocatingly movable shuttle transfer means for laterally transferring the shuttles from the receiving station to the conveyor means, said transfer means comprising connecting means having two opposed surface portions adapted to engage the opposed surface portions of a shuttle for temporary connection of said transfer means with a shuttle to be transferred to the conveyor means.

2. A loom as set forth in claim 1, said shuttle transfer means having at least two members including means spaced longitudinally of the shuttles, at least one member having connecting means having two opposed surface portions adapted to engage opposed surface portions of the shuttles.

3. A loom as set forth in claim 1, said opposed surface portions of the shuttles forming interior walls of an aperture in the shuttles, said connecting means comprising a thorn portion extending transversely to the movement of said transfer means and being adapted to be temporarily inserted in the aperture of the shuttle to be transferred.

4. A loom as set forth in claim 1 comprising shuttles having a thread clamp for gripping a weft thread, said connecting means comprising a thorn portion extending transversely to the movement of said transfer means and being adapted to be temporarily inserted into said clamp for opening the clamp.

5. A loom as set forth in claim 1, said transfer means comprising a member having a recess conforming substantially with a portion of the cross-section of the shuttles for temporarily receiving the shuttle to be transferred.

6. loom as set forth in claim 1, said transfer means comprising axle means disposed parallel of the shuttles to be transferred, said connecting means being swingable on said axle means.

7. A loom as set forth in claim 6, comprising a mechanism connected with and reciprocating said transfer means and a mechanism connected with and swinging said connecting means.

8. A loom as set forth in claim 1 comprising loom drive means, a mechanism for actuating said connecting means, said mechanism comprising a disc member rotated by the loom drive means and having a groove, an actuating lever, and a roller connected with one end of said lever and running in said groove.

9. A loom as set forth in claim 1, said connecting means comprising two members spaced longitudinally of the .shuttles and adapted to engage the shuttle to be transferred, and yoke means interconnecting said two members.

10. A loom as set forth in claim 1, said connecting means comprising two interconnected members, one of said members being adapted to abut against the shuttle to be transferred in the transfer direction of the shuttle, and the other member having two opposed surface portions adapted to engage the opposed surface portions of a shuttle for temporary connection of said transfer means with the shuttle to be transferred.

11. A loom as set forth in claim 1 comprising shuttles having a lateral recess, said transfer means comprising a member having a portion adapted to be temporarily received in said recess of the shuttle to be transferred.

12. In a loom for weaving having gripper shuttles which are received in a receiving station after they have passed through the shed and which are returned to a picking station by conveyor means, shuttle transfer means for laterally transferring the shuttles from the receiving station to the conveyor means, said transfer means comprising a slide member adapted to slide in the transfer direction of the shuttles, a lever pivoted to said slide member and having two arms disposed at an angle, actuating means connected with one of said arms, connecting means connected with the other arm and being adapted to be temporarily connected with the shuttle to be transferred to the conveyor means, and abutment means adapted to temporarily engage said slide member for temporarily arresting said slide member.

13. A loom for weaving comprising gripper shuttles which are received in a receiving station after they have passed through the shed and which are returned to a picking station by conveyor means, shuttle transfer means for laterally transferring the shuttles from the receiving station to the conveyor means, said transfer means comprising at least two members reciprocating in the transfer direction at least one of said members being movable transversely to the transfer direction and constituting a connecting means for temporarily connecting said transfer means with the shuttle to be transferred.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,538,798 Pfarrwaller Ian. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 179,034 Switzerland Dec. 2, 1935 

